Somewhere on the outskirts of reason... Or where good television can be found.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Possible New World Record

I have put off and put off our decision to cut the cord. I wanted to make sure that I got everything watched on the DVR. And I’m practically there… I think that I have 2 episodes of ‘Riverdale’ on there and maybe less than a handful of some other series.

We flirted with indoor antennas and it was what I expected. It’s hit or miss depending on the weather and placement of the antenna. So yeah, nothing has really changed with digital TV.

I checked out all the live TV streaming services. They give me the basics of what I actually needed. I don’t need the multitude of channels that Spectrum offers on its lowest tier plan. I’d say that we only watch about 30% of what’s offered in that plan.

I settled on YouTube TV. Forty bucks a month with up to 6 unique users, what’s not to love?

I get the locals and channels that I NEED. That also means that I won’t be blowing the cord-cutting savings on beer when hitting the local bar to watch some of the NASCAR races on Fox Sports or NBC Sports.

And they promise UNLIMITED DVR! Oh yeah, I could use that when my returning shows overlap. But then again, I don’t think that we ever got over 50% on our DVR. Nonetheless, it’s exciting to know that they have me covered should I require 101% one day.

The most difficult part has been the learning curve for the MIL (mother-in-law). I knew that it would be. I purposely allowed the cable to remain for one more week during this learning curve. She could use the cable as a failsafe should she take any wrong turns using the Roku remote.

She got along pretty good last Friday, but I noticed that she was back to cable on Saturday. But I didn’t fight it. I didn’t have time to invest in order to straighten out her learning curve. The remote for the cable also operates the TV and believe me… It took some time to give her an understanding on how that all worked. Just imagine handing a cat a road map with the grocery store clearly marked and asking them to get their own food. Yeah, the learning curve has been steep with that remote.

The Roku has a LOT LESS buttons on the remote and it seems fairly intuitive to me. But for the MIL it’s like the instrument panel of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. And when I try to explain what she needs to do she just starts hitting buttons. I have to say, “Stop. Don’t hit anything until I tell you where to go. You’re not learning how to do it on your own so take some time to listen to me, please.”

But the biggest problem is the fact that she doesn’t keep her reading glasses nearby. We’ve suggested those cords that you can attach to your readers. Putting them in a case to carry around in her housecoat. But no. She believes that wearing them in any fashion makes her look old. You know, as if being 72 years old and holding out objects as far as possible couldn’t possibly make you appear old.

I showed her how to go to Netflix from YouTube TV. Easy. Just press that white button with the Netflix logo on it. “Is that the white one?” she asked while trying to focus. “Yes,” I said.

She got to Netflix and I told her that she should devote some time there to find something to watch when she can’t find anything on the YouTube TV. “I will,” she said. “Now how do we get back to YouTube TV?” I asked.

“I hit the back button?” she asked. And before she asked, she had already hit it and the Netflix menu popped out from the left.

“The easiest way is to hit the home button,” I said. “Now where is the home button?”

She held the remote to allow as much light to shine upon it as much as possible and it was taking a few moments because she couldn’t see the marked button with an outline of a “home” on it. “It’s the top right button with a picture of a home on it,” I said.

“Is it this one?” she asked while pointing to the “*” button near the center of the remote.

“No, Linda. It’s the one on the right at the top. It has a picture of a home on it,” I said.

“It’s not this one?” pointing to the “*” button again.

“Is that button at the top of the remote?” I asked. “Perhaps you could see better with your glasses.”

She just pressed the button and went back to the home screen. Glasses? She don’t need no stinkin’ glasses.

“Now that you’re at the home screen, how do you get back to YouTube TV?” I asked. She immediately made a beeline to YouTube. I let it go.

“This doesn’t look like it did before,” she said.

“That’s because you went to YouTube instead of YouTube TV,” I pointed out. I tried not to be sarcastic about her ability to see and read at a distance. “Now press the home button again.”

Lo and behold she remembered where that home button was… “Oh! There’s one that says YouTube TV,” she said in a surprised voice.

“Yes, YouTube has a completely different purpose.”

So, she finally got back to where she wanted to be so that she wouldn’t miss ‘Days Of Our Lives’.

Yesterday I surprised to find her searching and watching some programming on Netflix. She didn’t even need help navigating back to YouTube TV. I felt like calling Guinness to see if it was a new World Record with women her age.

Thank the gods for Kentucky made bourbon! I'm going to need it when we get to Amazon streaming.